It seems like bedbugs are everywhere, and they're not going away. But that doesn't mean you should throw out all your furniture, or refuse to let family members visit, or spray yourself with toxic doses of alcohol every time you leave the house. A little common sense goes a long way in dealing with the critters.

It seems like bedbugs are everywhere, and they're not going away. But that doesn't mean you should throw out all your furniture, or refuse to let family members visit, or spray yourself with toxic doses of alcohol every time you leave the house. A little common sense goes a long way in dealing with the critters.

Hey, Romeo! If your killer material gets nothing more than crickets over coffee with a girl you've been chasing... or if you can't even get her out for coffee... it's probably time for a reality check.

Hey, Romeo! If your killer material gets nothing more than crickets over coffee with a girl you've been chasing... or if you can't even get her out for coffee... it's probably time for a reality check.

The reality is that people with larger bone structures definitely tend to have an easier time building mass. (However, there are exceptions to the norm: an example is Frank Zane, an excellent bodybuilder who had a fairly small frame.)

First of all, are you sure you're small-boned? It's pretty easy to determine: Grab a flexible tape measure, then wrap it around your wrist and ankle. If you're small-boned, your wrist will be 5-1/2 inches or less and your ankle will be 8 inches or less; medium-boned, your wrist will be 5-1/2 to 6 inches and ankle 8 to 9 inches; large-boned, your wrist will be 6 inches or more and your ankle will be 9 inches or more.

If you've measured and are small-boned, the end of the world has not arrived. One: You've got plenty of company. Two, you've actually got an advantage against bigger-boned dudes -- smaller wrists and ankles make the muscles on your forearms and legs look larger than they actually are.

Plus, you can still bulk up, but you'll need to gear your workouts and meals to gain muscle mass by training with a high volume of multi-joint exercises (squats, power cleans, bench press, etc.) instead of isolation moves (biceps curls, leg extensions, etc.) and downing extra calories. (Depending on your size, you should aim to increase your daily food intake by 700 to 1000 calories from a variety of food groups.) Try German volume training: ten sets of ten reps with the same weight for each exercise, and only one exercise per muscle group, such as bench for chest, shoulder press for shoulders, barbell rows for back, and squats for legs.

Copyright (c) 2010 PaliMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alexander J. Koch, PhD, CSCS, is an exercise physiologist in the department of Health & Exercise Sciences at Truman State University. He's also a weightlifting coach, and has been a member of USA Weightlifting's Collegiate and Sport ScienceCommittees.

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.